Monthly Archives: March 2014

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During his many years of working with groups around the world, Stephen R. Covey (best-selling author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People) had the incredible opportunity to personally observe how organizations best leverage the unique contributions of everyone in the workforce, regardless of their age, generation or style. After studying a wide-range of diverse groups including Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) such as Grameen Bank, and global organizations like Marriott Hotels International, Covey found that an important step in building and sustaining long-term results required the thoughtful process of creating guiding principles. These principles provide organizations and all employees with a baseline which provides clarity around performance and results.

Jim Collins said that “a culture of discipline is not a principle of business, it is a principle of greatness.” Those words might resonate with many leaders who are feeling frustrated about aspects of accountability, attention to detail, collaboration, or some other area in their organization. The reality is that discipline must start with the habits, routines, and rigor of leadership. Therefore, the big question is, “what are the approaches that will set the tone for a deeper culture of discipline?”

Get Serious About Culture – Support Your Purpose, Take Action & Improve Results

It’s time for leaders in all organizations (non-profit, for-profit, healthcare, government, education, etc.) to get serious about how culture is impacting their performance. At Culture University we believe that all leaders need to build on that understanding, engage their organizations to harness the incredible power of culture, and strive to make a meaningful impact.

The good news is that culture has caught on as a concept but Edgar Schein, a top culture thought leader, says it’s just as a “word” and people need to be aware that 90% of their behavior is driven by cultural rules and not personality. He shared this and other key insights about culture and leadership in the second part of a recent interview leading up to the launch of CultureUniversity.com.

Editor’s Note: This is the inaugural post of CultureUniversity.com – our purpose is to positively impact society on a global scale through culture awareness, education, and action.

Culture is a hot topic but remains a tremendous opportunity for most organizations to further support their purpose, solve problems, and improve performance. One of the foremost authorities on the subject of culture is Edgar Schein, Professor Emeritus with MIT Sloan School of Management, and author of many best sellers including The Corporate Culture Survival Guide and, his most recent book, Humble Inquiry: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling. He was recently interviewed for the launch of CultureUniversity.com and a number of important culture insights were captured to help bring clarity to this deep and important topic.